Name:
Salix commutata / Carex scopulorum Shrubland
Reference:
Western Ecology Working Group of...
Description:
This association is restricted to high elevations along the crest of the Cascades in Oregon and Washington (mainly on the east side), the Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon, and headwaters of tributary streams to the Middle Fork Salmon River in west-central Idaho. It possibly also occurs in California and British Columbia. Elevations range from about 1524 to 2377 m (5000-7800 feet) in the upper reaches of small streams or near lakeshores. Sites supporting this association vary from narrow to broad valleys with low to moderate gradients. Soils are poorly to very poorly drained (saturated for most of the growing season) and cold, with the water table at or near the surface all year. This association often forms small patches of shrub-carr in sloped, flow-through peatlands affiliated with seeps and springs emanating from lateral moraines or mountain slopes. Such sites are often at the margins of small intermediate to rich fens characterized by hummocks, undulations, and numerous rivulets. Soils at these sites are organic loam or peat (over 35 cm thick) with poorly decomposed large woody debris incorporated. Occasionally, stands form on floodplains or streambanks with fine-textured mineral loamy soils. Salix commutata is the dominant shrub, forming an open stand of scattered individuals to a dense overstory (15-95% cover) only 0.20 m to 1.1 m tall on average. Salix planifolia ssp. planifolia (= var. monica) and Lonicera caerulea are occasionally abundant shrubs, but their constancy is not high. Carex scopulorum is typically the most abundant and highly constant understory species, often with high cover. Calamagrostis canadensis has high constancy in this association, with cover averaging about 10%. Other mesic graminoids are often present, and occasionally locally abundant, such as Carex cusickii, Carex nigricans, Carex spectabilis (in Washington stands), Carex utriculata, and Eleocharis quinqueflora. Numerous forbs are also usually present and occasionally locally abundant. The most characteristic include Caltha leptosepala ssp. howellii (= Caltha biflora), Dodecatheon jeffreyi, Equisetum arvense, Pedicularis groenlandica, Polemonium occidentale, Potentilla flabellifolia, Saxifraga spp., Packera buekii (= Senecio cymbalarioides), and Viola spp. Moss cover can be very high, with mats sometimes covering nearly all of the soil surface. Sphagnum spp. are occasional.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.20204.SALIXCOMMUTATAC
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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